OPERATOR, FOCUS PULLER, LOADER, SLATE
The Operator runs the camera. On a low budget film usually
the Operator is also your DP.
I once asked a DP with a lot of experience as to why he
operated himself. He told me about an interesting incident. He used to
use an operator, until one day they were filming a scene on a
beach.
A small amphibious aircraft was about to land on the water near the
beach. Someone was to exit from the plane, wade through the surf and
come towards the beach. There was to be a shooting incident, a
character would enter the frame from the beach side and fire at the
person coming out of the plane and then the shot would end.
The director called for action. The plane came in to land,
overshot the landing area set up for the shot and crash-landed on the
beach. The shot was set up so that the camera would pan to the actor
who was to come out from the beach side and shoot at the actor coming
out of the plane.
The Operator decided to follow the original instructions of the
director and panned away from the plane and framed the actor who
actually proceeded to shoot at the plane, as he was supposed to do.
The plane hadn't crashed very badly and in fact no one was hurt, but
the shot of the plane crash-landing on the beach was nevertheless
pretty spectacular. It would've been worth a fortune to set it up that
way as an original stunt.
Well, obviously the DP wished he had been operating, because
he would've stayed with the crashing plane. "I would've shot the actor
with the silly gun later!"
And to make matters worse, he added, "The other actor did manage to
scramble out of the plane and continued to play out the scene as if it
was all planned that way!" They had missed everything. Almost nothing
of the crash landing was on film! "I never used Operators after that,"
he said finally.
This episode is of course the exception that proves the rule: if you
can afford it, go with an experienced operator and let the DP worry
about the overall technical aspects of the photography.
The Focus-Puller keeps the shot in focus. Usually the DP has
a Focus Puller in mind and recommends someone experienced and reliable.
There are many important considerations for this aspect of
photography. Nobody likes to see actors out of focus during important
points of their performance.
As "critical focus " changes during a shot, moving from actor to actor,
as they do their lines or perform reactions to other actors or
situations, the Focus Puller has to be clear as to where the focus
shifts at every moment.
Many films are shot at moody, low light levels and the job
of the Focus Puller becomes even more critical. The Focus Puller, also
traditionally on big budget films referred to as the First Assistant
Cameraman or Camera person, generally keeps the camera equipment in tip
top shape and takes care of all technical repairs.
The Loader is also known as the Second Assistant Cameraman or Camera
person. The Loader loads the film magazines, keeps reports on film
lengths of all shots, records their numbers and prepares the lab
reports.
You might think that there is nothing artistic about this
job, but you're wrong. The Loader has to make sure that the film
emulsion numbers used during a sequence of shots remains consistent
with the color variations of different emulsion batches. The emulsions
of film batches change from batch to batch, even though film
manufacturers are always improving batch to batch consistency. Film is
organic in nature. The ingredients that go into making the emulsions
come from cow hides and mustard seeds, among other esoteric chemical
ingredients! Controlling the color characteristics of film and its
rendering images of nature and flesh tones of actors, require many
technical subtleties.
A Loader may discuss with the DP the advisability of using
certain emulsions for different scenes, keeping a consistent look for
certain sequences and possibly using different films with completely
different characteristics.
On a technical level, the Loader keeps the magazines always
ready and he unloads the film at the end of every day. The Loader keeps
the film under ideal storage and transport conditions. Film has to be
kept cool and away from all kinds of rays that may affect it on the set
or during transport.
The Loader labels each can of film carefully and maintains a flawless
record of the condition and identification of every film roll.
The Slate person, or as the position is called on British
and some European productions, the Clapper Boy, marks the beginning of
every shot by calling out and marking (usually with chalk) the number
of the scene and the take, for synchronization of sound and picture
identification purposes.
Sometimes the slate is taken at the end of a scene if for
some reason it cannot be taken at the beginning. At such times, it's
called a "tail slate."
The slate is also called the "Clapper." The first time I used that
term, I was working with a funny Chicago DP. He kept calling it the
"Clapper" throughout the shoot. Every imaginable pun on "Clapper" was
coined before we were through. It was greeted with much hilarity by
everyone. He never let me forget it!